In a bid to expand its product portfolio in India while simultaneously taking down some of its greatest confectionary-snacking rivals, Hershey India, a part of The Hershey Company, has debuted in the biscuit category with the launch of Sofit Protein Cookies.

The Pennsylvania-based corporation made its debut in India in 2008 via a joint venture with Godrej Group. However, with Godrej Group is entirely exiting the foods business in 2012, local brands such as Jumpin', Nutrine, Mahalacto and Sofit were acquired by Hershey's.

Discussing the new launch, Bhalla says, "The biscuits category in urban India is almost $2.8 billion and it's growing at 10%," says Bhalla. Going forward, our intent is to build Sofit into a snacking portfolio of different categories. Till now it has been a single category beverage brand but now Hershey is going to focus on premium portfolio and premium biscuits market is almost $800 million. It's growing at a much faster clip of 17%. So, there is this whitespace for a cookie to exist, which gives the benefit of protein."

The product was unveiled by brand ambassador John Abraham who has been endorsing Sofit Soya Milk since 2014. The actor has teamed up with the brand to launch several TVCs under the philosophy of ‘Healthy Energy to Do More’.

Healthy competition

The FMCG food space has grown extremely competitive and crowded especially in the last decade with established major corporations as well as new entrants turning on the heat. Is it easy for Hershey's new offering to get lost in such a market?

"Well, for us, it's really about giving consumers a differentiated product," says Bhalla. "Hershey holds leading positions in almost every category that the company operates in, and all our brands have a significant contribution. So, both Hershey's and Sofit are brands that we are using to build relevance across the snacking portfolio."

With the new range, Hershey's plans to focus on the premium end of the market. The brand is set to target urban working professionals, a market worth nearly $800 million, growing at a rate of 17% YoY, according to Bhalla.

Bhalla stated that the brand plans to invest across all mediums relevant to its target audience. With a sturdy marketing plan that will cover TV, digital, PR, activations and in-store presence through an engaging and all-encompassing 360-degree campaign.

In terms of investments, US-based chocolate and confectionery firm Hershey will be investing $50 million in India over the next five years to scale up its operations here.

Explaining further, Bhalla said, “Last year we announced that over the period of five years we will be investing $50 million in the Indian market. This is the first year of that investment. Hershey’s Kisses was launched recently, and we have launched cookies today. So there is a lot of investment taking place to ensure that we are getting the right product."

Taking the cookie to the cashbox

Explaining the brand's distribution method Bhalla says,"The products will be available pan-India across all large cities in modern trade outlets, e-commerce sites and leading general trade outlets. All Hershey's products that we make are made in India and for India, and Sofit cookies are manufactured at our partner facility in Hyderabad"

He adds, "The entire biscuit category in India is worth $2.8 billion and is growing at 10% in urban India. We are a premium biscuit. While there are other heath-biscuits in the market in the form of digestives, it's important to differentiate that ours is a completely unique proposition".

The cookies will be available in three variants, namely Mango+almond, Coco+flax seeds and Raisins+ flax seeds in premium packs. While the 100g pack will be priced at Rs. 45, the 150g pack will be priced at Rs. 65.

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